Spring-coiling machine.



A. JENSEN.

SPRING-COILING MACHINE.-

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 6. 1917- 1,250,584.; Patnted Dec. 18, 1917:.

2 sums-sum 1. I \1 G 1 I v 1 I I I I I I A. JENSEN.

spams COIL ING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED IAN- 6.1917.

Patented Dec. 18,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, monly known as the forming plug.

UNITED TATES PATENT f I ANDREW sexism, or knlvosna- I i i Y Wisconsin,-have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Spring-Coiling Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to improvements in spring coiling machines of the kind typically illustrated in Letters Patent to Hoefer, No. 598,094, dated Feb. l, 1898. Spring coiling machines of this type employ a pair of wire-feed rolls, wire guides on both sides of the feed rolls, a coiler by which a -uniform or variable bend is imparted to the wire, a spreader or spacer by which the coils of the spring are separated to the desired or required extent, and a cutter usually located between the coiler and the spreader. v The feed-rolls, guides, and coiler are arranged in alinement; and, while the spreader is movable to vary the s acing of the coils, the extreme free ends of t e spring, as delivered by the machine, do not lie within or inwardly of the planes of the approm'mately flat end coils but project outwardly thereof. For many purposes for which coil springs are used, such as furniture upholstery, itis necessary to flatten the end coils by the free ends of the spring either within or inwardly of the planes of said end coils.

Heretofore this has involved a subsequent," separate and distinct operation by hand, and, in consequence, has entailed an additional labor and of these springs.

The primary obj expense in the manufacture ect of the present invention is to provide an improvement in the spring-coiling machine itself whereby this "flattening. of the end coils and inward tuckapart orspaced as they are produced, the

beveled, as usual in these machines," in or erto ing of the free ends of the wire of the spring may be eflected simultaneously with the forming of the spring, and without necessitating any subsequent operation on the 7 spring. In the embodiment of the invention herein presented this is accomplished by means of a special form and relative location of the wire guide that is located between the feed-rolls and the coiler, and coIn- In order that my invention, its rinciple of operation, and its attendant a vantages may be readily understood by those skilled in this art, I have illustrated one practical Specification of Letters I Patent.

Application filed January 6, 1917. Serial No. 140,885.

and workable embodiment Figure 1' is a front elevation of a spring colling machine embodying iny' improv ment; a

2 is a horizontal 'section-"thrb g t e Patented Dec. 18,

thereof the 1 accompanymg drawings, inwhichf Iii.

g ging parts of the machine, on the} line 2-20f Fig. 1; .7

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective elevation of 65 the form ng plug;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a spring' made by machines now-in use Fig. 5 is a side "elevation of the same";

spring when made with a machine equipped with my improvement.

Referring to the drawings, 6

designates generally the front portion'ofthe machine frame on which the several principal 0 erating parts of the machine are mounte 'j.""7 designates astationary wire guide that-con ducts the wire into the nip of a pairof'up-Q per and lower feed-rolls -8 and 9,, respeo tively. The upper feed-roll 8 is so mounted as to be capable of a separatingmovementfrom the roll 9 so as to intermitthe fc'ed between successive springs in order to Pelf mit the proper operation of the wire cutter, all as well understood in machines of this type. Beyond the feed-rolls 8 and9 is the coiler consisting, as herein shown, of a peripherally g oved roller 10 that is mounted on the lower end of a d d arm 11 in turn carried by a rock shaft 12 that is actuated through the connections clearly shown in' Fig. 1 by a cam 13. Just below the coiler 10 is the cutter compr sing the stationary blade 14 and the endwise reciprocatin 'blade cooperating therewith.

Between t e utter and the lower 'feed-roll is located the reciprocating spreader bar16, by which the successive coils are spread working face of the spreader bar being this type as at present constructed this fornnng plugcomprises -a stem or. -shank on the outer or forward end of the stem that isremovably mounted inxa hole in the frame'bywmean's of a setscrew' and ahead that is provided with either a hole extend ing diametrically therethrough for the passage of the wire, or a pair of laterally offset uide-rolls on its forward face between which the wire passes to the coiler. In the present practice the feed-r0lls, the coiler, and the wire-engaging portion of the forming plug are all located in alinement with each other, and the spreading or spacing of the coils is effected wholly by the spreader. As a result of this old construction, a spring such as is illustrated in Fig. 4 is produced, wherein it will be noted that the terminal portions A of the wire project beyond or outwardly of the general transverse plane of the end coils. In other words, the spring lacks the substantially fiat end coils which it must have before it is adapted for many of its intended uses; and a subsequent operation to bend the projecting ends A inwardly of the spring is required.

I have discovered that by means of a comparatively simple change in the relative locations of the wire-guiding passage of the forming plug and the coiler, I can produce a peculiar effect in the wire which, when the latter is out between successive springs, causes the free ends of the wire to spring inwardly of the end coils of the spring, remaining permanently in such position. Heferring principally to Figs. 2 and 3, 17 designates the stem or shank of my improved forming plug, and 18 designates the head thereof. Extending diametrically through the head 18 is the usual guiding hole or passage 19, and it will be observed by reference to Fig. 2 that the forming plug, the stem of which may be adjustably secured in place'by a setscrew, indicated at 20, is so positioned that the wire-guiding hole or passage 19 thereof is offset to a slight extent inwardly of the vertical plane of the coiler 10, so that the wire passes from the exit end of the guide passage 19 to the groove of the coiler 10 at a slight angle to the axis of the passage 19. By reason of this relative off-setting of the coiler to the guide passage in the forming plug, said coiler in its operation tends to twist the wire about its longitudinal axis, thereby setting up in the wire a torsional strain, as a result of which, when the wire is severed by the cutter, the two ends thus formed spring laterally away from each other, the rear or last-formed end of the spring springing inwardly of the last formed coil as indicated at B in Fig. 5, and the foremost or first formed end of the spring similarly springing, inwardly of the first formed coil, as indicated at B in Fig. 5. For the attainment of this result it is immaterial whether the nip of the feed rolls 8 and 9 be in alinement with the groove of the coiler 10, as herein shown, or in alinement with the guide passage 19 of the forming plug, or with neither; but since, in exmeosee isting machines, the feed rolls and coiler are in alinement with each other, the simplest and most practical embodiment and application of the invention lies in so setting the forming plug that its wire-guiding aperture 19' is slightly offset laterall rela-' tively to a straight line connecting the nip of the feed rolls and the groove of the coiler, and I have found experimentally that in this arrangement a lesser amount of relative offset of guide passage and coiler is required than Where the guide passage is in alinement with the nip of the feed rolls. It should be understood, however, that the relative lateral offsetting of the coiler and 'the guide passage of the forming plug is the only thing essential to the production of the novel result of the automatic insetting of the ends of the spring hereinabove described and shown in Fig. 5.

I have found, however, that where the advance end of the spring is given this peculiar in-set by the means and in the manner just described, it will, as the'formation of the spring proceeds in the machine herein illustrated, strike the stationary blade 14 of the cutter unless means he provided to guide it past the cutter blade. Any suitable deflecting means may be employed for this purpose within the purview of the present invention, but a simple and practical means for this purpose consists of an inclined or cam surface 21 on that side of the face of the forming plug which lies nearest the cutter. As the advance end of the wire sweeps past the beveled face of the spreader it next engages a beveled portion 22 (Fig. 3) on the lower side of the face of the plug that is flush with the beveled face of thespreader when the latter is fully retracted, and as the wire end sweeps across the face of the forming plug it is deflected outwardly by the protuberant inclined surface 21 sufiiclently to cause the end to safely clear the stationary blade of the cutter. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be observed that the baseline of the inclined surface 21 lies at substantially a right angle to the wire-guiding hole 19. This temporary outward deflection of the advance end of the coil, however, does not affect the permanent inward set which the wire receives in passing through the laterally offset forming plug, and the advance end springs back inwardly of the foremost coil as soon as the latter has been formed by the machine.

By more or less offsetting the forming plug relatively to the coiler, the extent of inward deflection of the terminal portions of the spring may be regulated as desired.

From the foregoing it will be manifest that the purpose or function of the protuberant inclined surface 21 on-the face of the forming plug is simply to prevent collision of the advance end of the wire with the stationary blade of the cutter. Other wire-deflecting means may, obviously, be employed for this purpose; but the simplest and most practical location for this member is on the forming plug itself, as herein shown and described.

It is believed that the mode of operation and advantages of the invention will be readily understood by those familiar with the operation of spring coiling machines without further description; and hence, without limiting myself to the precise details herein shown and described,

I claim:

1. .In a spring coiling machine, the combination with a forming plug having a transverse wire guide, of an oscillating coiler the wire-engaging portion of which is laterally offset relatively to said wire guide.

2. In a spring coiling machine, the combination with a forming plug having a transverse wire-guiding aperture, of an oscillating coiler the wire engaging portion of which is laterally oflset on the delivery side of the machine relatively to said wire-guiding aperture.

3. In a spring coiling machine, the combination with feed-rolls and a coiler, of a forming plug having a wire guide that is laterally oflset relatively to a straight line between the nip of the feed-rolls and the wireengaging portion of the coiler.

4. In a spring coiling machine, the combination with feed-rolls and a coiler located in a common plane, of a forming plug having a wire guide that is laterally offset relatively to said plane on the side opposite that on which the spring is delivered.

5. In a spring coiling machine, the combination with feed-rolls and a coiler located in a common vertical plane, of a cutter below said coiler, a forming plug'having a wire guide that is laterally offset relatively .to said plane on the side opposite that on which the spring is delivered, and a deflector for the advance free end of the first-formed of the spring serving to prevent collision of said we end with said cutter.

6. In a spring coiling machine, the combination with feed-rolls and a coiler located in a common vertical plane, of a cutter below said coiler, a forming plug having a wire guide that is laterally ofi'set relatively to said plane on the side opposite that on which the spring is. delivered, and a deflector for the advance free end of the first-formed coil of the spring carried by said forming plug and serving to prevent collision of said free end with said cutter.

7. A forming plug for spring coiling ma-' chines, having a transverse wire guiding aperture, and a protuberance on one end thereof formed with an inclined surface, the base line of which lies at substantially a right angle to said aperture.

8. A forming plug for spring coiling 'machines, comprising a stem, a head having a transverse wire-guiding aperture, and a protuberance onthe face of said head formed with an inclined surface, the base line of which lies at substantially a right angle to said aperture said inclined surface serving to laterally deflect the free end of a coil passing over said face. 7

ANDREW JENSEN. 

